Somewhere Only We Know
by fullmetalmaniacc
Summary: His life was perfect and a new adventure with Silver was what he had been wanting for years. But then she showed up, sending him flying into a whirlwind of emotions he couldn't describe. So much for having things under control. Jim x Melody.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** - Hi there! Well it's been ages since I've written and I apologise yet again. I promise to update regularly.

So some things I want to clear up.  
TLM 2 released in 2000 and Melody was 12, TP released in 2002 and Jim was 15, so in 2002 Melody would be 14.  
Thus I conclude that there'd be only a one year age difference between the two.  
Atleast that's how it is in my head canon, these two are my disney OTP so NO BASHING.

In this story Jim is 18 and Melodys 17.  
End rant.  
A pat on the back if you actually read through all that, on with the story!

**_His life was perfect and a new adventure with Silver was what he had been wanting for years. But then she showed up, sending him flying into a whirlwind of emotions he couldn't describe. So much for having things under control._**

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_"I can think of a thousand ways To get good and lost beyond these hopeless days"_

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Jim Hawkins smiled, the wind playing with his hair and whipping it across his handsome features. Standing on the top deck of his ship, he watched the cluster of stars whiz by as he let out a loud chuckle. He was on cloud nine and everything was finally perfect.

His life had finally played out right the way he had wanted it to, graduating out of the interstellar academy with the post of a cadet he had finally made his mother proud. Sarah Hawkins had been ecstatic as she had pulled her sun into a bone crushing embrace and had insisted on a celebration. With the Benbow Inn up and running better than it had ever before, everyone gathered to celebrate Jim's achievement.  
Dilbert and Amelia Doppler along with their four little ones included the many guests. Even Ben was having an amazing time helping around the Inn.  
Yeah, everything was definetly perfect.

But Jim knew something was missing and the only person who could take away that empty feeling was Silver. He missed Silver alot, he had been the closest thing Jim ever had to a dad. So when after a year Silver appeared out of nowhere and at his doorstep the boy had never been that happy.

After that day, Silver spent his time with Jim and Sarah Hawkins just taking the much needed break he was yearning for. But one night Silver told Jim the real reason he had come to him a month back. He told him that he had unfinished business on another planet and that he only trusted Jim enough to help him with it. Ofcourse the boy obliged,  
how could he ever pass up a chance to go on an adventure with Silver?

So here he was with Silver and a few other new crew members on a whole new adventure.

"What ye doin' up dere Jimbo?" a loud jolly voice called out to him. "Haha! I could never get tired of this Silver! This is the life!" Jim replied ecstatically. "You don't say," Silver chuckled, "Get down now, we'll be there in half an hour."

On hearing this Hawkins furrowed his eyebrows and let out a huff. "Fine," he muttered as he climbed down detachedly and squatted himself down next to Silver.  
The brunette let out a loud sigh, he had heard that earth was nothing out of the ordinary. Infact he had read that it was somewhat primitive compared to Montressor, not something he was looking forward to at all. The earthlings didn't even know of any world besides their own.  
But Silver told him that his journey required visiting that planet so he had agreed. Maybe they could get this whole 'unfinished business' over with quick and head out to explore unexplored galaxies. Breaking out of his reverie, he curiously eyed Silver before he decided to speak up.

"You know, you still haven't filled me in on this unfinished business of yours."

"Well Jimbo.." Silver started.  
"What, you don't trust me?" Jim asked, a tinge of hurt evident in his voice.

"Don't ye dare say somethin' as stupid as that, if ye really want to know then I'll tell ye... Although you gotta promise me one thing."  
"Anything."  
"Not a word of this to anyone, ye hear?"  
"My lips are sealed," Jim said earnestly.

Silver looked at the boy, a growing smile on his face. He took a deep breath and plopped himself down next to the cadet, looking out at the sky with a faraway look in his eyes.

"They say..." he started, "They say that on Saturn's moon Titan, the oceans have been frozen over for centuries and in the deep there lies a legendary pearl. A pearl that has the power to grant you one wish, any wish. With that kind of power well... I could have all the riches in the world, I would have the power to undo a few mistakes I've made." he finished with a grimace.

Jim raised an eyebrow slightly, it sounded ludicrous really. But then again after his adventure in treasure planet he found nothing impossible anymore.  
Slowly digesting the story a thought suddenly struck him.  
"Wait, why are we going to earth then?" confusion engulfing him.

"Ah, you didn't lemme finish lad. Well ye see in order to get into the cave where the pearl is we need a few things. One of em' being on earth."

"Oh yeah? What could you possibly get from that undeveloped planet?", "A mermaid, a royal mermaid," Silver said. "What the hell is a mermaid?" Jim asked confused again.

"Mermaids... they're half women and half fish. Beautiful beyond belief and with voices that will have you lost in a trance.", "Wow," the boy muttered, his eyes going wide.

"The king of the mermaids, Triton is an old friend of mine and he owes me from a long time ago. We made a deal that he would lend me one of his daughters for this journey if I ever decided that I would go for it."

"What about the other stuff?" Jim further inquired.

"Ah well my other old friend is going to help us with all that, after we're done on earth we'll go to planet Sirabius and plan our journey out."

Jim smiled, this was going to be quite an adventure. "Aye aye" he smiled, his excitement suddenly grown to a manifold. "Ayite Jimbo, now we best get ready... fifteen minutes to earth," Silver said ruffling Jim's hair. "Aye!" Jim cried out happily as he maneuvered the ship to it's next destination... earth.

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**A/N 2** - Reviews and constructive criticism welcomed, although try not to be too hard on me. I'm still learning :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** - First up I'd like to thank everyone for the lovely reviews! They're really what got me excited and made me update this soon.  
Virtual cookies for you all :D

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_"What would you do, if you saw spaceships over Glasgow? Would you fear them?"_

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"Wow" was the only word that danced from Captain Jim Hawkins lips as he drank in the beauty of his surroundings. Natural beauty was definitely the planet's asset, he was sure he'd never seen an ocean that clear or a sky that blue. Breathing in the salty air he began instructing his crew as he made his way around the ship.

"Jack let down the sails, Henry steer the ship due south of the docks. We'll pull up there."  
Dusting his hands on his trousers, he let out a breath relieved that he was done with all the necessary tasks. He eyed the ship one last time to make sure it looked as if the ship had sailed on water and not halfway across galaxies. He snickered remembering that Silver had said something about the earthlings not being able to digest the idea of a flying ship. He gazed at the beautiful castle and began untying the rope that held the anchor. The planet may have been primitive but their royalty sure was grandiose.

"Well Jimbo, what ye reckon?" a voice called out to him, he whipped his head around to face a tall and bulky man. "Silver.. how did you?"  
but he answered his own unfinished question when he remembered what Doppler had given them. He said it was called the ID mask 587D and it apparently created a sort of a body mask or a cover up according to the electromagnetic signals your brain transmits.

"It's that gadget Doppler gave me earlier, feels funny looking like a human," Silver chuckled, "well let's leave then."  
Jim smiled and nodded in affirmation, "Yeah well you don't look half bad." "Well thank ye lad," Silver laughed as he began to proceed of the ship with Jim swiftly following behind. They made their way over the bridge and to the entrance of the towering castle gates. The white walls of the castle glimmered in the sunlight and the right side of the castle was enclosed by the ocean. Wanting to get a better look at his surroundings he turned his head and what he got was a panoramic view of the open ocean. Fascinated, he began to stare at the water and how its surface gleamed in the sunlight. That's when he noticed a black figure wading underneath and as if to fulfil his curiosity a figure shot out, her ebony hair flying up in the air and onto her shoulders and back. Her was back arched and her beautiful silhouette glittered in the sunlight. His eyes laid transfixed as he eyed her further taking in her ocean blue eyes, thick black eyebrows and rosy pink lips. At that moment Jim Hawkins were sure he had never seen anything that beautiful.

The figure felt someones intense gaze on her so she turned her head, her azure orbs meeting his Glaucous ones. Draining out the water from her hair she eyed him scrutinizingly, one eyebrow arched in question. He quickly looked away, embarrassed that he had been staring for so long. That's when he noticed that Silver was far from sight, already at the castle doors. He rushed to catch up with him, shaking his head to rid himself of thoughts of the mysterious girl. As he scurried his way next to Silver the enormous castle doors opened up and they came face to face with a scrawny old man.

"Captain Long John Silver and Captain Jim Hawkins I presume," the old man spoke, his head held high. "Aye! That'd be us," Silver replied. "Welcome, my name is Grimsby. Please come in and have a seat King Eric and King Triton will be with you shortly." The pair nodded and made their way into the castle plopping themselves onto the the plush velvet sofas. Jim's gaze wandered around the interior of the castle. The king sure went all out, the castle was extravagant and beautiful to say the least. The sparkling chandeliers, the crimson curtains and every bit of furniture was rich and grand looking. His train of thought was interrupted when Silver suddenly rose from his seat. Jim looked up to see why and he noticed an old man with a flowing white beard but a strong stature wearing a black suit, a handsome middle aged man clad in a white suit, a extraordinarily beautiful middle aged woman with red hair and tiny red haired toddler approaching them.

"Triton," Silver said as he held out his hand which the old man shook. "Silver I got your message, it's good to see you again," King Trition replied. "Likewise, this I take is your beautiful daughter," Silver asked as he kissed the middle aged woman's hand.

"Ariel," she smiled sweetly, "Aye Ariel," the cyborg smiled. "This is my husband King Eric and this is my son Prince Timothy," she finished. "Pleasure to meet you," Eric greeted, "Pleasures all mine," Silver replied courteously. "This is Captain Jim Hawkins," Silver introduced in response to which Jim bowed and as did everyone else. With the introductions taken care of the group engaged in regular chit chat for a while until Silver being the impatient Cyborg that he was decided that it was time to get down to business. "Ayite Triton, where is our mermaid?" Silver asked finally, laughing Triton replied, "Always the impatient one Silver, you haven't changed at all." Silver responded with a grim smile. "Ariel, call Melody will you?" Triton told Ariel who in response yelled out and a curtain of black and white could be seen whizzing down the stairs.

Jim's stomach caught in his throat, it was the girl he had seen earlier. "This is my granddaughter Melody," Triton introduced proudly, "She's quite a looker," Silver chuckled. King Eric smiled proudly as did Queen Ariel. "She will accompany you on your journey." The girl threw out her hand swiftly and vigorously shook Silvers. "Hey names Mel," Melody said enthusiastically, "Melody..." Ariel's voice was stern. Melody looked away bashfully, manners were never her thing. She curtsied and smiled sweetly,"I meant Melody."

"Haha! Hello Lass, my name's Silver and this here is Captain Jim Hawkins," Silver said as he saw Melody sneaking glances at Jim. Jim bowed again and Melody curtsied back, both avoiding direct eye contact. "I have already explained our agreement to Melody. As for the mermaid part of it I have given her this locket and when she opens it she will be able to transform into a mermaid," Triton explained.

"Alright, thank you for everything Triton," Silver said earnestly. "Don't thank me Silver; I'm trusting you with my granddaughter. You'd better take good care of her," Triton told him with a stern expression. "Of course I will, cross my heart and hope to die," Silver spoke honestly. "I trust you," the king smiled, truthfully he didn't want to risk his granddaughter's life into all this but she was adamant on helping him. "Well I'll be heading back to Atlantica, you can discuss the rest with Ariel, Eric and Melody. Goodbye everyone," he said kissing Timothy's head and giving Melody a hug. He collected his trident and proudly made his way out of the castle waving along the way. With the king out of sight King Eric finally spoke with a worried expression.

"I do hope you will take good care of my daughter," he requested anxiety laced into his voice, he had almost lost her twice and he was just a concerned father. "You have my word," Silver reassured, this seemed to relieve him and his wife. "You may leave tomorrow at the break of dawn, no one will be able to see you leave that way," Eric told him in a quiet voice. "Aye, see you at dawn then.", "Yes, my maid will show you to your quarters," he gestured at the stairwell. Jim and Silver nodded ascending up the stairs as they disappeared into the hallway. With the visitors gone Melody finally looked up, holding her little brother in her arms. She was ecstatic and anxious, a whole new adventure to places she had never even dreamt of. At first her parents had been reluctant and her grandpa had tried his best to search for alternatives but to no avail. She reassured them that she would be fine, that she wanted to do this, she wanted to help her grandpa and secretly she wanted this adventure. After much coaxing her parents had finally agreed. Smiling to herself she made her way to her room, her thoughts suddenly drifting to the captain boy. He was handsome most definitely but she simply put her thoughts aside. Obviously it was just a little crush that would fizzle out soon she thought to herself as she grabbed her copy of 'Midsummer night's dream' off her dresser and jumped into her bed for a good read, tomorrow was going to be a long long day.

Oh how right she was.

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**A/N 2** - Alright a few things, I got the ID Mask idea from ben 10 :P Also Melody's introduction is really corny I know but I'm sort of a sucker for corny descriptions, so please try over looking it.  
Lastly, im dead tired because this was infact a very tiring chapter to type out. Thanks for reading, reviews are welcomed :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N** - Hello there my lovely readers! Once again thank you for the lovely reviews, I can't thank you guys enough :)

I apologize for my late update but I felt this was a tough chapter to write and I didn't want to just rush through it. It is also very very very long and I didn't feel like splitting it because I felt like that would ruin the flow. I'm not satisfied with it but I guess it'll just have to do. Happy reading :D

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_"Meet me in outer space _

_we could spend the night,_

_ Watch the earth come up, _

_I've grown tired of that place."_

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"I don't know if I'm ready for this," Princess Melody muttered to herself as she let out a deep shaky breath. Fumbling with a stray thread that had managed to loosen its way out of her skirt she mentally scolded herself for being so nervous. She was never one to get agitated over such things. On the contrary she charted her own adventures most of the time. So what was with this sudden anxiety? Maybe it was the thought of being away from her family for an unknown amount of time or maybe it was the thought of venturing out into something that was completely foreign to her. Standing in front of the RLS Legacy it dawned on her that maybe she didn't anticipate this much as she thought she would.

"Are you ready lass?" the burly man called Silver asked her suddenly snapping her out of her reverie. "Yes Captain Long John Silver," Melody replied meekly, the nervousness apparent in her voice. "Please, no formalities Lass. Call me Silver," Silver said smiling warmly at the girl.

Returning the smile she slowly nodded her head, it was really sweet that he was trying to make her feel comfortable. "Come on aboard now, we'll be leaving soon," Silver called out to her already making his way onto the ship, "Your luggage has already been taken care of." Nodding her head again the girl followed after the cyborg. With wide eyes she marveled at how the sails seemed to glitter and how the masts were made up of metal. Even the bow of the ship seemed to be tipped with a metal. The ship appeared to be nothing like the ones on earth.

"Captain Hawkins will show you around the ship while I get things ready for the launch," Silver told her disrupting her train of thought yet again. "Alright," she responded as she turned to face Captain Hawkins who had his hands jammed in the pockets of his jacket and an uninterested expression on his face. The boy spoke suddenly, "Well I guess we've met formally but I'm Jim." He paused bringing out his hand, a small smile plastered on his lips, "Welcome aboard the ship."

"Thanks Jim, my name's Melody. But everyone calls me Mel for short," she replied shaking his hand and smiling back at him. "Shouldn't I call you princess or something?" Jim asked shooting her a doubtful look. It was only appropriate after all. He'd read that princesses were very proper and mannered and although Melody didn't seem to fit into that category it didn't change the fact that she was royalty. "Well sure, if you want me to call you Captain Jim Hawkins," she replied a facetious smirk playing on her lips. Jim let out a low chuckle, yep definitely not proper or mannered at all.

"Alright alright I get your point," he chuckled. "Okay Melody follow me," he said gesturing his hand in the forward direction, he needed to show her around the ship quickly so that he could be there for the launch. She nodded and began walking in the gestured direction alongside the boy to the back of the deck. The pair stopped when they came to a small corridor which had four rooms. Jim walked forward and opened the first door to reveal a small dingy room which consisted of a wooden bed, a woolen blue rug, a dainty little dressing table and a small mahogany cabinet. The room was dimly light because the only source of light was a dull lamp and a small window. "This I take is my cabin?" the princess asked as she strode into it looking around with an adorning smile. "Yeah, I know it isn't much," Hawkins started. "It's wonderful, I love it," she cut him off and flashed him a bright smile. Jim's voice got caught in his throat and he awkwardly looked away running his fingers through his hair.

"Glad you like it, your luggage has been put under your bed. The window does in fact open by the way if you decide that you need some fresh air or something," he rambled, "Now c'mon, I still have to show you the rest of the ship." Responding with an "Alright" she followed after the brunette who turned to the room opposite hers. "This is my cabin," he pointed, "So if you need anything you'll know where to find me. Except at night, I don't like people interrupting my sleep." Melody rolled her eyes at this. "I have no intention of coming to your cabin at night," she said with an incredulous expression. "Don't be too sure of that princess," he said a playful smile on his lips. She rolled her eyes again and scoffed, following him further down the hall. "This is Silver's cabin although he isn't there most of the time," Jim chuckled standing next to the room after hers. "Why not?" she asked, her lips curved into a small half smile. "Well, he's kinda restless. He's always at the bow or at the wheel. The only time he ever comes here is when he needs to sleep," Jim explained. "Silver sounds like a fun guy," Melody chuckled. "Yeah, yeah he is," the boy replied, a growing smile on his face. "Well anyway," he started, "that last room opposite Silver's is the lavatory. Silver and I usually share it but you'll have to use it too."

"It's fine," she replied. "What about the galley?" she asked him curiously, she knew that the boy seemed to be in a hurry so she decided to try and get it over with as soon as possible. "Oh right," he replied. "Follow me," he said jamming his hands into his pockets again.

As they walked out of the hallway together Jim noticed that Silver had already began instructing the crew on what to do, they were going to set sail soon. He smiled to himself as he wondered how this adventure was going to play out. He led the girl down the stairs and to another hallway, this one was slightly longer. She seemed to be lost in thought, her eyes wandering all over the hallway. Turning left he showed her the crew cabin where the rest of the crew slept, he would've introduced her to the rest of the crew but he was running short of time. He showed her the hammocks in which they slept and the table where they usually gathered to play a game of cards. She seemed intrigued even though the cabin was nothing out of the ordinary. It was only because even though she had been on ships before she had never been on one like this one and never come across a crew like this one.

Finished with the tour of the crew cabin Jim asked her to follow him to their last destination, the galley. She walked after him, touching the wooden walls of the hallway as they made their way to the right. Jim looked at her curiously, he could understand why she seemed so fascinated with the ship. The wood was from the trees of the planet Artemis which was supposed to have the strongest and smoothest wood that could be found among all of the galaxies. They entered the galley together and Melody narrowed her vision to see a fat figure who seemed to by busy chopping something.

"Hey Maddy!" Jim called out, a devious smirk playing on his lips. "Jim you little rascal, I told you to stop calling me that," the figure scolded in a playful tone turning around to reveal some sort of a hybrid between a mouse and a human, a maternal smile on her face. She obviously didn't seem to be human Melody thought to herself. Her grandfather had told her to be prepared to meet all sorts of creatures on her trip.

The old woman's gaze suddenly turned to Melody and she joyfully let out a yelp. "Well hello there deary, I'm Madeline. You must be Melody!" she continued in her jolly voice pulling the girl into a bone crushing embrace. "Yeff nife tooh meef youh tooh," she managed in between muffles. She seemed to be lost in all that fat Jim observed as he tried to a stifle a laugh. Instead he ended up failing miserably as he burst out into a fit of chuckles. On hearing his rude reaction Melody snapped her head in his direction and shot him a deathly glare. This in turn only encouraged the boy to laugh more.

"You'll have to excuse Jim my dear, he's bit of a brat," the woman commented with a smug expression. "Hey," Jim immediately protested shooting daggers at Madeline with his glare, his face was scrunched up into a frown and his eyebrows were furrowed together in annoyance. Melody burst out laughing this time, the expression on Jim's face was absolutely priceless. It reminded her of Timothy's expression when she had made fun of his stuffed rabbit.

Jim's gaze immediately drifted to Melody as he continued to glare. "Whatever," the boy looked away and rolled his eyes, a scoff apparent on his face. "My job's done, I'm going upstairs now," he muttered walking out of the galley. Melody noticed Madeline's gaze soften and she spoke maternally, "That boy really needs to learn how to lighten up," she said earnestly making Melody smile. "Yeah, yeah he does," she agreed, "Is he always like this?"

"Well he seems to be happy most of the time but sometimes I can't help but feel that he's holding back," Madeline explained. Melody turned to look thoughtfully in the direction in which Jim had exited. "Well dear, the ships about to launch. Up you go now, you wouldn't want to miss it," she smiled at the girl breaking her out of her thoughts. "Alright! Thank you Madeline," Melody replied gratefully giving Madeline a quick hug. She hurriedly rushed out of the galley and up the stairs with an excited smile on her lips.

Her gaze drifting upward she noticed that Jim and Silver were already at the bridge of the ship near the captain's wheel and all the other crew members were running about doing their respective tasks. The sails had been opened and they looked ablaze. She noticed a beam of light flying down through the top of the mast down to the bottom like a lightning strike. Melody looked up in wonder as she suddenly began to feel light weighted. Gasping she looked down to see that her feet were no longer on the ground and so she frantically tried to get back down confused as to what was happening.

"Henry, activate the artificial gravity field," she heard Jim cry out from near the wheel. Turning her head her eyes scanned the deck to see who Jim had instructed and she was taken aback to see a tubby creature with tentacles, it kind of reminded her of an octopus. The creature saluted to Jim with one tentacle and pulled a black curved lever that was attached to an orange sort of a turbine with the other. Without warning Melody felt her feet descend back onto the ground. 'What just happened?' she asked herself confused beyond belief.

"Mel! Lass! Get up here," Silver suddenly called out to her, noticing her on the deck with a bemused look on her face. She beamed at him and happily ran up to where Jim and Silver were standing. "Excited?" Silver asked the girl, a knowing smile on his face. "More than I've ever been before," she replied smiling brilliantly back at him. "Why do the sails glow like that?" she asked suddenly, curiosity engulfing her. "Runs on stored solar power and nuclear energy," Jim explained leaning over to look at her and smiling at her thoughtful expression. "It runs on electricity basically," he chuckled. "How fascinating," Melody replied with a growing smile she wondered when the time would come when her planet would have technology as advanced as this. She giggled suddenly, her musings interrupted by something tickling her ear. Trying to itch it off she was surprised when a pink blob with the cutest face and smile came into her vision, his eyes fixedly looking at her.

"Morph, don't startle the poor girl," Silver laughed. "No no it's alright, he's adorable," she giggled letting the creature stand on her palm which it began to stroke.  
"He likes you," Jim told her with a soft smile. "Yeah well I like him too," she gushed and pulled him closer to her cheek. The pink blob began to change in shape suddenly startling Melody. He turned into a pair of lips and kissed her on the cheek, earning a squeak from the girl. "He's a shape shifter," Silver explained. "A mischievous shape shifter obviously," Melody giggled staring at the blob with an adorning gaze.

The ship's horn could be heard suddenly and the groups conversation was cut short, the ship was finally airborne. "I wish there was a better way to get a look at the launch," Melody said to no one in particular. "I can arrange that," Jim said with a smirk. "Come on," he said in a rush and began to climb up the ladder attached to the mast that held up the Crow's nest. He stopped midway, turning to look over at Melody. "On second thoughts, never mind," he told her, his voice dripping feigned sympathy. "Huh? Why not?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed together in annoyance. "Well, you're going to have a tough time getting up there and there's no way I'm going to carry you," Jim said like he couldn't care less, "You're a girl and all not to mention a princess. We wouldn't want you falling on your pretty little behind."

She glared at him, how dare he think of her as a weakling? She would show him, she was as adventurous as they came. Giving him a sarcastic smile she began to climb up the ladder with great agility. Jim taken aback raised an eyebrow and at the blink of an eye she was already facing him. He wasn't expecting that at all and Melody knew that as she snickered to herself. He remained quiet as they climbed up to the Crow's nest together, the place had the best view in the entire ship and he liked going there whenever the ship was about to launch. He sneaked a glance at Melody who seemed to be lost to the world, watching starry eyed as the ground began to look smaller and smaller and the sky began to turn darker and darker. Earth seemed merely like a tiny speck now and the stars blanketed the sky.

"This is amazing," she whispered, leaning on the edge with her arms. "Yeah it is pretty cool," Jim grinned, "The launch has always been one of the favorite parts of any trip.", "I can see why," she smiled and he responded similarly. They stood there for a while staring out at the sky with smiles on their faces.

Once they were sure that the ship was afloat they made their way back down to the deck contently. "Had fun?" Silver asked them smiling softly. "Of course! That was absolutely amazing," Melody exclaimed clasping her hands together. "Thanks by the way," she said turning to Jim and smiling at him sweetly. "Don't mention it," the boy replied skittishly turning his head to the side and shoving his hands into his pockets. Melody noticed that this seemed to be a curious habit of his. "Well, I'm off to my cabin. Got some stuff to do," Jim spoke, "Later." He proceeded down the stairs and disappeared into the hallway with Silver, Melody and Morph watching behind.

"Silver, is it okay if I look around the ship?" Melody asked suddenly, her eyes imploring the Cyborg. "Of course lass," Silver chuckled, "Go ahead." She giggled happily and giddily pranced down the stairs excited to finally take a look at the ship properly. The Princess spent a good amount of time getting familiar with the ship and it's crew members. She explored each and every nook and cranny, marveling at how beautifully crafted it was. The girl also spent some time conversing with Madeline and Silver who were so welcoming and nice to her that she slowly felt her nervousness and unease melting away. She had felt out of place at the beginning of the launch, but now that she was getting familiar with her surroundings she felt confident that she would grow used to life on the RLS Legacy.

Satisfied that her time was well spent she was now standing at the bow staring out at the night sky. There seemed to be so many different patterns and phenomenon and she was fascinated with each and every one of them. She saw stars closer than she had ever seen them before, she noticed colorful masses of lights swirling together to form beautiful patterns and watched the gigantic rocks fly past the ship with tails that seemed to be lit up with fireworks. Lost in her reverie she was interrupted by the scuffling of feet behind her. She turned around to notice Jim who seemed to be walking towards the end of the bow.

"What's that?" Melody suddenly asked pointing to a ball of blue light surrounded by a swivel of red and green clouds. Jim abruptly turned his head in her direction and raised his eyebrows, he didn't think anybody would be out here. "That's a nebula," he explained walking towards her. He leaned on the edge of the bow alongside the girl and glanced at her. She looked at him expectantly as if waiting for more of an explanation. He smiled to himself and continued, "Nebulas are astral bodies which are mostly mixtures of dust and gases."

"This is so fascinating," she laughed, "did you learn about all this in training?"  
"Something like that," he said his smile growing a bit more, "I actually trained in this academy for space sailors and cadets."  
"Well, that explains how you're so smart. Guys back on earth generally don't know these things," she told him honestly as she curiously gazed at the nebula. Jim laughed in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head, "If you want I could teach about the different things you'll probably get to see, kind of like your own personal space guide or something."

"That'd be great!" she exclaimed grinning at him. This was perfect, finally someone who could answer all the questions that were bubbling up in her thoughts. She actually wanted to ask someone about them but she had suppressed her curiosity because she didn't want to seem annoying. The people on the ship probably thought her to be uneducated about space and she was glad that Jim had offered to help.

Contentedly she looked out at the blue and noticed a formation of stars that seemed to create a pattern. "Jim look! It's Orion," she cried out suddenly surprising Jim who was busy looking at the nebula. His head shot to face her, a look of pure bewilderment marred across his features. "You know about constellations?" he asked with wide eyes and mouth agape. "Of course, I absolutely love them," she replied chirpily, "In fact, I think I see the big dipper right there."

Jim looked out at the sky immediately, his eyes searching for the constellation. He grinned when he spotted it and examined the starry blanket for a constellation of his own. "There" he suddenly pointed, "that's Andromeda." She looked in the pointed direction and sure enough she saw Andromeda. Well two could play at that game.

"I see Cassiopeia," she exclaimed, her voice rising an octave higher. "Yeah and there's Cepheus," he responded just as quickly. Their friendly competition went on a while with each of them throwing names of constellations faster than the other.

"Cygnus," Jim Hawkins asserted pointing to a slightly far away constellation. Melody looked at him and scrunched up her nose ambiguously, the boy had got it all wrong, "No no that isn't Cygnus, that's Cancer." Jim gave her a look of disapproval, was she really questioning his knowledge on constellations?

"Look Melody, I think I know my stuff and that's definitely Cygnus", he said to her.  
"And I'm pretty sure too, that is Cancer," she retorted with a confident look on her face.

Jim frowned at her, no one challenged him when it came to such things. Melody mistaking his silence for submission turned to look at the boy and was taken aback by the look on his face. She giggled at how ridiculous he looked, that frown didn't suit him at all. "Alright fine, how about we just ask someone else what they think?" she suggested. "No one on the ship knows anything about constellations," he replied pursing his lips. The Princesses' eyebrows etched together and she seemed to be lost deep in thought. "I know," she cried out suddenly, "What about that professor Silver said we're going to meet on Sirabius." She stopped suddenly her shoulders visibly slouched, "How are we going to show him though?"

Jim looked at her, an excited look on his face. "I know just the thing," he exclaimed dashing towards his cabin. Rummaging through his drawers he found what he was looking for. Grabbing the camera he ran out of his cabin and back to Melody, panting a bit. He made sure he was standing still and he pointed the camera to the sky. When he was sure the constellation was in focus he took a picture.

"We show this to the doc and we'll decide who the winner is. Deal?" Jim asked with a smug grin. "Deal. What are we betting on though?" Melody asked. Jim's smile turned devious, "Loser has to do whatever the winner asks him to." "You're on!" Melody replied with an equally smug expression on her face.

The boy and girl looked at each other and burst out laughing and they turned to face the sky again. Melody started giggling to herself suddenly causing Jim to look at her curiously. "What's so funny?" he asked. "It's nothing, it's silly really," she replied coyly and looked away. "No no what is it?" he asked again. "Well those stars over there remind me of Sebastian, my crab uncle," she told him meekly."You have a crab for an uncle?" he asked amused. She nodded her head and let out a soft laugh. Jim smiled and his gaze shifted to the direction in which she had pointed and he noticed that it did indeed look like a crab. He chuckled and continued to stare at the endless blue. "Yeah, it sorta does." he said, "and that over there looks like my cat friend, Amelia." It was Melody's turn to laugh. "And that looks like an anchor, well kinda at least," she giggled.

And so the pair continued to find shapes in the stars like children not really sure how long they were going to be there but instead just enjoying this innocent game together underneath the night sky.

* * *

**A/N 2** - Phew! That was a real task to type out and I'm very tired. I hope this chapter wasn't too boring and that everyone was in character. The reason I made this chapter so long is because I want to write each day on the ship as a chapter, let's see how long that'll last. I tried my best to get into the details but I think I sorta screwed up :P

Thanks for reading this far!

PS. The little snippets before every chapter highlighted in italics are actually songs that I think suit the chapter and also suit the couple. If you're interested the one in the first chapter was 'Take me somewhere nice' by Sky Sailing, the one in the second chapter was 'Take me somewhere nice' by Mogwai and lastly the one in this chapter was 'Stellar' by Incubus :D


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N -** Sorry for the late update, hope you like this chapter even though I hate it.

Thank you everyone for the encouraging reviews!

* * *

_'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do _

_Nothing to lose And it's you and me and all other people_

_ And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you_

* * *

The soft white rays of a distant star illuminated the RLS legacy that morning, pink and orange dust clouds fully surrounding it. The atmosphere were static and there was not a soul in sight. All of the ship's crew members were deep in slumber. Disrupting the silence, a sharp figure with a board could suddenly be seen cutting across the clouds, his brunette hair levitating with the wind. A confident smile played across Jim Hawkins' lips as his eyebrows etched together in determination. Pulling up his solar surfer he shot up into the sky and flew past the clouds rendering them into a swiveling mass of coral pink dust.

After he was sure he had flown up to a vantage point, he effortlessly hit the back button on his surfer with his left foot and the solar sails instantaneously closed up. Taking in a deep breath he felt the cool air filling up his lungs and rushing to his head. Without a shadow of doubt or fear in his mind he closed his eyes shut and let himself fall, leaving the rest to gravity. The board topsy turvied it's way down with the cadet trying out all sorts of stunts on it. Falling faster the board began to accelerate at an alarming rate towards the top of the deck and just when it seemed as though he was going to crash into the ground he pulled up, the solar sails swiftly opening up with it. He yelled out ecstatically as he circled the ship on his surfer, a perfect landing yet again.

Jim smiled to himself, there was nothing that he loved more than solar surfing. The rush that comes as you push yourself to fly faster and faster, the feeling you get when you're at the top and you don't know if you're going to come down untouched or in pieces, that deep intake of the purest breath you may have ever encountered and the feeling of triumph when you manage to break your fall and land expertly. Also, he was a self-proclaimed daredevil, pretty much nothing scared him anymore but the danger that came with solar surfing got his adrenaline rising to uncanny levels. Satisfied with today's flight he hit the brakes on his board and slid across the edge, hopping down to the deck with the surfer clamped under his arm.

"That was pretty impressive," a sweet feminine voice said to him startling and causing him to jump a bit. "Are you stalking me or something?" he asked with a bemused expression, her tendency to land up in places was kind of freaky. "No Mr. Full of himself, I woke up a while back and happened to notice some weirdo shouting out to the sky," she said, a complacent smile on her lips. "Yeah well I was just having some fun, sorry for interrupting your beauty sleep," he retorted shrugging his shoulders. "You're not the reason I woke up, I don't sleep much is all," she replied sharply, that boy really had some nerve. "So then what were you doing staring at me anyways?" he asked with a cocky smile. "Well what you were doing looked like fun!" the girl told him earnestly, biting her lip in anticipation.

Jim was taken aback for a moment her answer wasn't something he was expecting, Not to mention the sincerity in her voice. His smug expression melting away, he grinned at her. "Yeah, it's a lotta fun," he said. "So that means you'll teach me?" Melody asked flashing him a hopeful smile, her hands laced behind her back. "Nope," Jim said simply avoiding her and making his way to his cabin. "Why not?" she huffed frowning at him lips jutt out in annoyance. "Well if you get hurt I'm not going to take responsibility for it," he told her with an uninterested expression. "You're a jerk," she said glaring at him and then storming off to her room, making a purposeful stomping sound with her feet.

Jim watched her leave and he rolled his eyes with a small half-smile. As unpredictable as she was he was secretly glad that he had found his match when it came to snide come backs. Of course, he would kick himself before he would ever admit that to himself let alone anyone else. From the time he'd spent with her he deduced her as being somewhat of a rebel and an unabashed tomboy although her larger than life attitude sort of weirded him out. Shaking his head with a small smile he entered his cabin, he needed to get the coordinates aligned for the next part of the journey to Sirabius. Shutting his door with a click he plunged into his tiny red sofa brushing scattered papers away.

Concurrently in the cabin opposite Jim's, Melody heard his cabin door click shut. That boy was too much of a smartass sometimes, he could be nice if he wanted to but it happened once in a blue moon. Melody wasn't the kind of person who judged people too quickly and she had only just met Jim yesterday but he just got her so mad. She tried shrugging off the annoyed state he had put in her as she had a shower and got all her morning tasks out of the way. Struggling into her strappy white summer dress she sighed discontentedly. She had argued with her mother that she would've gotten a pair of trousers and a collared shirt stitched for herself, these clothes were so difficult getting around in but her mother had strictly said no and Melody didn't dare argue. Her mother was a lenient woman so when she said no she really meant it. Brushing her hair swiftly she heard her stomach let out a grumble.

"Looks like you Miss Maddy too huh?" she asked her stomach patting it softly. Smiling to herself she pranced down to the galley avoiding the stares from a few of the crew members, how she hated being a girl. The galley was a lot more chirpier and brighter than the rest of the ship and she mainly owed that to Madeline. "Hi Maddy!" Melody cried out nestling herself across the nearest table. "Melody! Don't be a Jimmy now!" Madeline laughed turning to face the girl. "Don't compare me to that lil' brat, she frowned, furrowing her eyebrows together. "Oh deary, is he bothering you?" the woman asked, her voice maternal. "Sorta, but it's nothing I can't handle," she replied with a sweet smile, "What's for breakfast?"

"Ranzery omelette, unless you'd like me to make you something else," Madeline asked giving Melody a warm smile. "Omelette is fine I suppose," Melody replied. "Well here then deary," Madeline said placing a blue-green omelette onto a plate with her spatula. She placed it onto the table and gestured the girl to take a bite. "Go on, tell me how it is," she said. Melody took a whiff and admitted to herself that it did smell appetizing. However the color was a major put off and she wondered if her stomach would agree with this 'Ranzery omelette.' Taking a look at Madeline's hopeful expression she decided that she would at least try to eat it. She took the fork between her fingers and cut out a piece of the omelette, slowly drawing it to her mouth. The moment the omelette entered it she swore she would puke out whatever she had eaten for dinner the night before. Chewing slowly she gave Madeline a sweet smile. "It's absolutely delicious Maddy, I love it," she said, she really didn't want to hurt Madeline's feelings.

"Aww pssh! You flatter me deary," the woman gushed, batting a hand in the air and another placed on her cheek. "No no, it's wonderful. Thank you so much," Melody said shoving down another bite of the omelette with great effort. Somehow she managed to push down the omelette until the plate was clean and Melody was sure she would never touch another omelette ever again. She hurriedly waved to Madeline and dashed out of the galley biting down the bile that was pushing its way up her throat. That was horrid, she didn't understand how the crew members could eat it. She meant no offense to Madeline but she would rather starve than eat something like that ever again. Melody made a mental note to herself to help Madeline make something else tomorrow, something edible preferably.

She walked towards the bow, hoping to get some fresh air. Narrowing her vision she noticed someone mopping the deck, a plain expression on his face. Walking closer she realized that it was Lucas, the cabin boy. She had first met him when Jim had taken her on the tour of the ship. He had taken to Melody immediately, stuttering and bashfully throwing compliments. Melody couldn't bring herself to take him seriously though, he was only 15 after all. He was adorable nonetheless with his dirty blonde hair, striking green eyes and bright smile.

"Hi there Lucas," Melody exclaimed waving to the boy. His eyes went wide and a blush spread across his cheeks. "Hi.. Hello there Miss Mel... Melody," Lucas stuttered, looking down at the ground. "I told you to stop calling me that," she replied putting her hand on her hips, a look of fake disappointment on her face. "Sorry Mel," he replied meekly. "See now that wasn't so hard. So I see you're busy swabbing the deck," she said giving him a smile. "Aye, may I say how lovely you look today.," he complimented smiling back at her. "Thank you," she said, "Luke do you know where Silver would be? ; Aye of course! He be at the captain's bridge," he replied, "Would ye like me to take ye there?"

"Thank you Luke, I'll go see him then. And it's alright, you continue with your work. I'll find my way," she said giving him a reassuring nod. "Alright Miss Melody," he said looking away again and continuing to mop the floor, a sheepish look on his face. She giggled and nodded her head, making her way to the bridge. Her gaze wandered around and she noticed that Silver was nowhere in sight. "Hey Morph! Get back here!" a voice cried out suddenly and into her vision came Morph being chased by a very happy Jim. Her smile turned to a frown, what was he doing here? She had wanted to avoid him today and there he was. Suddenly she began to giggle uncontrollably, her frown melting away as she felt Morph lick her face and then hide behind her neck. "Oh no you don't!" Jim screamed and rushed towards Melody but then stopped midway in his tracks. He scratched the back of his head and his smile died down. "Good to see you have a lighter side to you too," Melody said, her expression stone like. "What are you talking about? I'm always like this," he retorted. "Yeah sure, whatever you say," she said, ignoring him and walking away.

"What's with you?" Jim asked raising an eyebrow. "Nothing," she said simply continuing to ignore him and looking around for Silver. "Whatever Moody," Jim said shrugging his shoulders and settling himself down on the wooden floor, one leg bent up and the other sprawled out, left hand on the bent leg and the right hand nestled on his lap. "Moody?!" You're the one who's being nice one minute and a total jerk the next," she grumbled crossing her arms, hip cocked to one side, eyebrows knitted together and lips pursed. Jim looked at her and let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. His expression turned sort of sullen and he let out a soft sigh. "If this is about today morning then I'm sorry," he said in a soft voice, "It's just I'm not the most responsible person around and if something were to happen to you I would get blamed for it. I don't need myself getting into any more trouble."

Melody's expression softened as he told her this and a small smile graced her lips. Crossing her legs she sat down next to him and she put her hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, I understand," she said, "it's just that you could've been nicer about it." Jim chuckled nervously running his hand through his hair. "Thanks," he said, "yeah, I really need to work on that. He admitted that he could be rude at times even if he didn't mean for it to sound that way. He was glad that Melody was nice enough to understand that. "Need to work on that! Need to work on that!" Morph cried out, reappearing from behind Melody's neck, he had morphed himself into a mini Jim. Melody and Jim laughed in unison and Morph nestled himself between the two of them on the floor.

"Well look what we have 'ere, good to see the three of ye getting along," an unmistakable voice called out. Silver walked aboard the bridge with a big smile. "Silver! I was looking for you!" Melody exclaimed. "Aye, well tell me lass," Silver asked kindly. "I was wondering if..." Melody started, she meekly looked away fumbling with her fingers. "I was wondering if you could tell me about this journey, where we'll be going," she finished. Silver seemed taken aback by her request, nonetheless he felt it was only fair that she was let in on the plan, she was a vital part of it after all. "Aye, of course lass," he said with a kind smile. He pulled out a rolled up map from the oversized pockets of his trousers. Laying it across the floor he pointed to a tiny white speck.

"Jimbo, do the honors," Silver told the boy. Scooting himself closer to where Silver and Melody were seated he spoke, "Yeah, we're here right now. Next to the star Canopus." Dragging his finger across the map he tapped at a red dot. "We travel this way and that red dot... that's the planet Deimos," the cadet put his finger under his chin and stroked it fondly. He slid his finger a full 10 cms above the white speck and pointed to a larger green dot. "That's Sirabius," he told Melody. "Whoa okay, how fair is it from here?" she asked, eyes widening. "A couple of light years away, should take us another 3 days to get there," he said. "Hmm..." she said slightly nodding her head. "Don't worry lass, I have a few pit stops in mind," Silver said, a growing smile on his face. He realized that one could not spend too much time on a ship and the two of them were still children. Even Jim hadn't been in this galaxy and Silver was sure Jim would be aching to venture it. The boy and girl flashed Silver their brightest smiles, their eyes glazed over with excitement and Silver smiled back at them knowingly.

The trio s quiet moment was interrupted as they heard someone rush up the stairs, his feet making a very audible stomping sound. "Mr. Silver sir, Mr. Decker be calling ye sir," Lucas said in between pants as he suddenly appeared from the stairs. "Aye, tell em I'm coming," Silver said to the boy and turned to face Jim and Melody. "I'll be seeing the two of ye later, Mr. Decker's calling," he said, a disgruntled look on his face. Mr. Decker was the boatswain and by far the grouchiest hedgehog human mutant alive. He was completely 'Anal' as Jim liked to call him and it was said that he never smiled.

As Silver got out of the way and descended down the stairs Lucas turned to face the pair. "Cap'n sir," he said saluting to Jim. "What's up Luke?" Jim said to him, giving him a small smile. "Nothin' cap'n, was swabbin' the deck," Luke said, "although I'll probably never be as good as ye." At this, Melody turned to look at Jim and she shot him a confused expression. Jim? Swabbing the deck? That'd be a sight. Jim in response looked at Melody and shrugged him shoulders, nodding his head as if to say 'I don't know what he's talking about.'

Noticing their little exchange of gestures Lucas decided that he would not keep quiet. "Miss Melody, I take it you managed to find Mr. Silver Sir," he said with an impish smile. "Mhmm, thanks Lucas," she said. "Anything for you Miss Melody," Lucas gushed, his cheeks turning red again. Melody gave Lucas a crooked smile trying to contain her embarrassment. She glanced at Jim who seemed to be snickering to himself. 'What an imbecile' she thought. Melody rolled her eyes at him and blew out a puff of air, her hair bangs flying up with it. But that didn't stop Jimmy boy, on the contrary he continued to snicker to himself. "I uh... I'll be on the deck," Lucas stuttered. "If you need me Miss Melody you're welcome anytime," he said as he looked down and skittered down the stairs.

The princess looked at the stairs with a guilty expression, poor Lucas he was only trying to be nice. Turning her head in Jim's direction she rolled her eyes and smiled at him mirthfully. "Go on, laugh it up, he was only trying to be nice," she said trying to bite back the giggles that were threatening to erupt past her lips.  
"Nice? He's like in love with you or something," Jim chuckled. "Oh shut up," she said narrowing her vision, the smile still on her lips. "Alright alright, I'll stop," he said, "don't break his heart though. He's a good kid."

"Of course not, now seriously shut up," she huffed, her lips pouting in annoyance. Jim laughed and began to proceed to the stairs. "Later Melody," he said as she disappeared down the stairs. Melody rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day and sat down next to Morph who had been quietly watching the entire episode. He looked at her gleefully and began to shape shift into something. Adopting the shape of Lucas he began to flutter his eyelashes and pucker his lips. "Anything for you Miss Melody," he imitated and Melody let out groan of fake annoyance. "Morpphhh! Not you too," she scolded. The tiny pink blob giggled and it licked her face with an apologetic look. Melody chuckled and stroked his face with her index finger and in response the blob began to purr. "Boy you sure are adorable," she said with an adorning gaze at Morph, "Alright boy, let's go see what Lucas is up to. Maybe we can help around a bit." Morph nodded and rushed down the stairs with Melody following after.

The Princess made sure to apologize to Lucas on Jim's behalf and she tried coaxing him into letting her help. If there was one thing Melody hated it was being idle, most of the time she was too restless for her own good. So throughout the afternoon and evening Melody and Morph helped around the ship as best they could, not really doing anything major but just keeping Lucas company for the most part. Melody even skipped lunch that day as she decided that after that 'Ranzery omelette' it was going to take some time until she got her appetite back.

Later on in the evening Lucas had retired himself to the forecastle and Morph had flown away to spend time with Silver so Melody decided to retire to her cabin too. She was just about to enter her cozy little quarters but was startled by a loud yelp coming from Jim's cabin. "Stupid shit" she heard him yell as she got closer to his door. She noticed that the door was slightly ajar and so she peeped in to make sure Jim was okay. Narrowing her vision she saw something she wouldn't have expected in a million years. There was Jim neatly seated on his bed and a pile of playing cards sprawled around him. He was trying to stack them into a building a castle but was failing miserably. Melody began to giggle to herself, she didn't know why but something about the whole ordeal seemed hilarious to her. She peered into his room again and noticed that he was no longer on his bed.

Jim slammed the door open and stood face to face with Melody, an unamused expression on his face. "I knew you were stalking me," he muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Not really, you were yelling incoherent insults and I was just making sure that you were alright," she replied trying to stifle back a laugh. "Yeah well," he started, not sure how to reply and flustered that she had caught him in such an embarrassing situation. "Need help?" she asked, giving him a sweet smile. Jim was taken aback by her reply, he was expecting her to mock him or make fun of him. He looked at her and let out a sigh. "Alright fine," he said, "even though I don't see how you can."

"Well try me," she replied a confident smirk playing on her lips. "Fine, come in," he said ushering Melody into his room. He had been at it for a good two hours now and not one castle had stuck for more than two seconds. He was starting to get sort of annoyed. The girl entered the room a small smile on her face. This was her first time in Jim's cabin and she was sure she would've guessed that it was his even if he hadn't told her. There was a small dark table with scattered papers and photographs of various nebulae and stars. On the walls were posters of constellations and other astral bodies. There was even a picture of Silver, Morph, a woman who Melody assumed to be his mother due to the similarity, a dog mutant, a cat mutant, four little dog-cat mutants and a mechanical being with a large smile on its face. There was a plush red sofa in one corner and a brown rug in the middle of the room. There were also worn trousers all over the floor and a few cans of some sort of a fizzy drink. His bed which was small and comfortable looking had a cardboard slate on it which was blanketed with the cards.

"Sorry about the mess," Jim apologized, scurrying around the room and picking up the scattered trousers. "I'm not used to having people in here," he said shoving his trousers into his cabinet and kicking it shut with his leg. A soft laugh bubbled past Melody's lips and she seated herself on the edge of Jim's bed. "It's alright," she said, "I wouldn't have imagined your room to be any different."

"What's that suppose to mean?" he asked, shooting her a confused look. "Nothing, it just suits you," she chuckled. "I'm just going to pretend that was a compliment," he said smiling at her dangerously. "It is! It is!" she exclaimed putting her hands up to her chest and waving them sideways in opposite directions. Jim smirked and seated himself next to her on the bed. "Alright, let's get this started," the boy exclaimed picking up a few cards and trying to balance them on the cardboard slate. Melody stopped him by placing her hands atop of his. "Making castles is about balance," she said giving him a small smile. "Here let me try," she said pulling the cards from his hands and carefully balancing them on the slate.

Jim watched her mesmerized, how in the world did she do that? His eyes fixatedly watched as her hands artfully built a tower in a matter of seconds. "Alright, your turn!" she exclaimed, snapping the boy back to reality. She flashed him a bright smile and leaned down next to the tower. She blew over the tower, the cards tumbling down and ending up in a scattered heap. Jim looked at for her a moment and then began to laugh in disbelief. "The hell was that?" he asked. "Making room for your castle, that's all," she said. Jim shook his head and let out a low chuckle. "What?" she asked coyly. "Nothing, you're kind of weird," he said with a playful smile.

The moment those words left Jim's mouth he knew he had said something very wrong as he saw Melody's expression fall and her eyes go slightly downcast. He had meant it as a joke and Melody seemed to take his usual teasings in good humor so he realized that he had obviously struck a chord. "But then again so am I so I guess it's cool," he said, trying to make it up to her. Although he wasn't just saying it, in his early teenage years he had felt very much like an outcast or a weirdo himself.

Melody looked up at him again and gave him the sweetest smile. "Thanks," she said, "Alrighty so the castle." She seemed to perk up quickly and that was a quality he admired. She picked up a few cards and threw them onto Jim's lap. "Get started," she commanded playfully. "Aye aye ma'am," Jim played along. He picked up two cards and tried to balance them again. "Do it slowly," Melody said to him softly, "and make sure both the cards are equally balanced on the edges." He did as he was told and soon enough he managed to build a castle. "There ya go, Cap'n Hawkins," she exclaimed. "It's actually James Pleiades Hawkins," he said, an accomplished smile on his face. Melody laughed and spoke, "Alright Captain James Pleiades Hawkins."

The duo began to laugh, the sound echoing throughout the tiny cabin. The resonating sound of laughter was suddenly interrupted by a grumbling sound. Their heads turned to the direction of the sound and they realized that the source was Melody's stomach. "What, you haven't eaten?" he asked. "No, haven't had lunch either," she said sheepishly. "Why not?" Jim asked, eyebrows raising in slight concern. "Well I had Ranzery omelette for breakfast and after that I realized that my stomach doesn't really favor your cuisine," she said tugging her hair lightly, an embarrassed expression on her face. "Can't argue with you on that one, the Ranzery omelette is a real appetite killer and so is everything else Madeline cooks," Jim chuckled. "Wait here, you should probably get something to eat," he said reaching for something under his bed. He pulled out a large cardboard box packed with stacks and stacks of purple plastic packets. "Here, eat this," he said throwing her a packet, "it tastes good and it'll fill you up."

"What is it?" she asked curiously eyeing the packet and forcing it open. "A Purp roll," he said, "it's kind of like this fruit pastry thing, try it." She gave him an anxious look and reluctantly took a bite of the roll. Jim was right, it did taste good and she found herself stuffing the whole thing into her mouth. "This is so good," she said in a muffled voice. "Glad you like it," Jim laughed. "Help yourself whenever you need," he said kindly, "although only when I'm in my cabin." Melody scoffed mirthfully. "Don't worry, I know how to give people their space," she said, "thanks though Jim."

"Sure," he replied scratching his eyebrows in an embarrassed manner. He turned his head away from her, his gaze suddenly falling upon the castle of cards he had built. He smirked to himself and blew harshly at the castle and it tumbled down onto the bed. Melody looked at him curiously, a growing smile on her face. "Going to build a bigger castle?" she asked. He nodded in affirmation already getting started. "Cool, I'll help," she said, clasping her hands and helping him with it.

And so Jim and Melody stayed up together for the second night in a row continuing to build new castles and watching the older ones tumble down, their laughter resounding through the walls of the tiny cabin being the only sound that could be heard.

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**A/N 2 -** Alright, I'm sorry for the late update. I've just started college and so had I had to get all the admission and stuff out of the way. I'll try and update more regularly, please bear with me.

The song is you and me by lifehouse :)


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